Card-filing system



Nov. 5, 1929. R. T. R. HAsTlNGs y 1,734,123V

l GARD FILING SYSTEM Filed March l5. 1927 Jan. Feb. C72; 7: 4 ...,257 E Patented Nov. 5, 1929 PATENr OFFICE ROLLAND `T. R. HASTINGS, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS CARD-FILING SYSTEM I Application led March 15, 1927. Serial No. 175,608.

yThis invention relates to file cards and to a system for using the same.

One object of my invention is to provide the cards with prospect and dealer and different commodity designations so that the manufacturer or the distributor or other user of the cards may, by removing portions of the cards at the designations, indicate when prospects become dealers, and thus readily know from the altered and intact cards which apply to dealers and which to prospects; thereby having at hand a convenient guide as to the development of the business and how to distribute sales literature to the best advantage.

A further object of my invention is to provide a series of drawers or like receptacles.

for receiving said cards, one drawer receiving all intact cards, which apply to prospects; and other drawers having interior arrangements to accommodate only altered cards, and thus prevent the dealer and prospect cards from being filed in the wrong drawers.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a front view of a filing card, ruled or marked olf in accordance with my invention; and v Figs. 2 to 5 indicate how the cards are file in different drawers at different times in accordance with my invention.

As shown in Fig. l, the front face of the card l is marked olf into three horizontal columns 2, 3, and 4. These columns are ar-` e ranged one above the other and are marked or entitled Sales matter mailed, Follow up, and Purchases, respectively.

Each of said columns is divided vertically into twelve squares, one for each month of the year, and so designated above the squares, as shown in Fig. l. Each square is divided into two spaces or sections 5, 6. In the particular arrangement shown, these spaces or sections are formed by dividing the squares diagonally. The spaces or sections 5, 6 are devoted to different classes of merchandising, the letters B and S being marked therein on the drawing standing for brushes7 and supports (arch), respectively. The Bs of merchandise covered by the literature, and

are in all the upper sections 5 and the `Ss are in all the lower sections 6, although of course this arrangement could be reversed if desired. i 4

The'card l, as shown in Fig. l, is provided with four square or sharp corners, three of which, namely, the upper right-hand corner and the lower right and left-hand corners, are divided off by dotted or perforated lines 7, 7 as shown in Fig. 1. In the upper righthand corner appears the letter P just above the dotted line 7, and below this line appears the letter D, while above the dotted line at the lower right and left-hand corners appear the letters B and S, respectively. The letter P stands for prospect, while the letter D stands for dealer and the letters B and S for brushand support (arch),respectively, asheretofore.

vWhen" advertising matter is to be sent out l by mail to a prospect, a card such as lhas the name and address of the prospect marked thereon above the uppermost of the horizontal rows y2, as shown in Fig. l. If this literature relates, to brushes, acheck mark is made in a brush space 5 of the first row 2v in the month thatthe literature is mailed. The four lcorners of the card areleft on and it is then filed in a card dra-wer, suchas 8 in Fig. 2, said drawer being shaped to "receive the card with its lower corners'intact. If the literature related to arch supports, a check mark would be placed 1in one of the Sspaces 6 under the appropriate month, as is apparent.

lows from the sending of this literature, fol- In the event that no sale immediately follow-up literature is sent to the same prospect and a check mark is placed in one of the sections in the second row 3 under the month in which the follow-up matter was mailed. This u mark is of course placed in the section correspending-to the character of merchandise covered by the literature.' The card is then reiled in drawer 8 together with other prospect A cards applicable to both classes of merchandise as covered by the cards. p n Y If a sale follows from any of the literature previously mailed or sent out, then the prospect vbecomes a dealer ofthe particular class If they merchandise purchased was brushes, the lower right-hand corner of the card is removed to show by B at this corner that the party is a dealer in brushes. K

I the transact onV covers archsupports,

then of course the lower left-hand corner of the card is removed to show by the"S at manifest.

such corner the character ofthe merchandise. In addition to removing these corners, a check mark is placed in4 one of the appropriate squares of column 4 under the month covering thesale v v- The cards are now iled in different draw-` ers, those lfor Ybrush dealers in drawer 9 of Fig. 3, and those for arch supports in drawer 10 of Fig. 4;. Asgshown in these figures, triangular strips 11, 12 are fastened in the lower right "and leithand corners, respectively, of these drawersl 9and 10 to take up the spaces provided by removing the lower corners of the cards. Thus, all cards for brush dealers are 'iled in drawer 9, andA all cards for arch support dealers are fileduin drawer'lO. By reason of the fact that the strips 11, 12 are at opposite sides of the drawers9 andlO, the

cards for one drawer will not iit in the other drawer.v Should any of the cards be placed in the wrong drawer,'thestrips would .cause the card Atovproject up above the rest of the cards in the drawer and `make theerror As subsequentpurehases are made by the respective dealers," onl the cards in column 4Min the ,different spaces under the months ofsuch purchases, so thata ready and handyrecord may behad 'showing the number of vthesetransactions throughout theyear.V e

Should a dealer purchase bothy classes of by.- the cards, then merchandise as covered both lower corners of the card are removed and thecard placed in drawer 13, as shown in Fig. 5.1 Th`s drawer check marks are placedv dealer designation marked thereon at one corner and a different commodity designation marked thereon at each of two other corners so that the card is adapted to be structually altered at the corners' and will show whether it applies to a prospector awdealer and the commodities dealt in,dep,ending on whether its corners are intact or not. y p Y Y 2. A file card having dealer and vvprospect and diierent commodity designations marked tiereon so that the VAcard ispadapted to be structurally'altered at the same and-Will show whether it applies to aeprospect or a dealer and `the commodities dealt in, depending on whether the card is intact or not at such y designations, said, card also having a -chart thereon enabling it lto be shown when sales matter is distributed and sales made to either prospect or dealer or both. p Y

In testimony whereof I alli this 9th dav of March, 1927.

X signature y RoLLAND T, nHAsTfiNes. Y

hastwo strips 141.", 14 y at its lower inner corners to occupy the spaces Y Vprovided by removing both lower Lcorners of the cards. l By the system and cards disclosed, a manufacturer or 'distributorcan have a -ready and convenient card record showing the number oi dealers 1n the different merchandise handled, the amount'of literature mailed out during the year or other period covered by the cards, as well as the number of purchases madeby the dealers from time to time. From this record, the volume of business transacted with each of the various dealers can bekept at hand as a guide to the distribution of advertising and sales seeking and ,stimulating literature.

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